Electronic devices with convex displays

ABSTRACT

Electronic devices may be provided with convex displays. A convex display may be used to maximize the internal volume of a device. Convex displays may be formed from one or more flexible layers. A flexible display layer may be mounted to a rigid support structure or a rigid cover layer. Flexible display layers that conform to the curved shape of a rigid structure may provide additional internal volume in which internal components of the device may be positioned.

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/454,950, filed Mar. 21, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This relates generally to displays, and more particularly, to electronic devices with displays.

Electronic devices such as portable computers and cellular telephones are often provided with displays. For example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) may be formed from a stack of display structures such as an thin-film transistor layer with display pixels for providing visual information to a user, a color filter layer for providing the display pixels with color, a touch screen panel for gathering touch input from a user, and a cover glass layer for protecting the display and internal components.

It is often desirable to produce portable devices of minimal size. Users of portable electronic devices may find a thinner device more desirable than a thicker device. Compact portable devices are sometimes provided with convex housing shapes. A convex housing shape may increase the internal volume of a device while preserving a sleek, thin look that is aesthetically pleasing to a user.

A portable compact device with a convex housing may have a display. In conventional arrangements, the display is flat, so only the portions of the device other than the display have a convex shape. This may limit the internal volume of the device and may detract from its appearance.

It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved electronic devices.

SUMMARY

Electronic devices may be provided with convex displays.

The convex displays may include one or more flexible display layers and may be mounted on top of or under a cover layer with a curved shape. For example, a flexible display layer may be mounted on top of a rigid support member having a convex surface or may be mounted on the concave underside of a rigid convex display cover layer.

Convex displays may be provided with touch-sensitive capabilities by stacking a touch sensor array on top of or under flexible display layers. Rigid convex displays may be formed from a flexible display layer, a touch-sensitive layer, and a rigid cover layer or support structure.

Devices having convex displays formed from curved flexible display layers may help maximize the use of the internal volume of an electronic device.

Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device with a convex display and internal components in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an illustrative set of display layers that make up a convex display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device with a convex display and a bezel formed from a housing structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device with a convex display and internal components in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device having a convex display with a flexible display layer that conforms to a support structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device having a convex cover layer and a flexible display layer joined by an adhesive layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device having a flexible display layer, a touch-sensitive layer and a convex cover layer joined by adhesive layers in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an illustrative electronic device having a convex display and a connector port arranged to use the internal volume of the device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an illustrative electronic device having a convex display and internal components in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device substantially surrounded by a convex display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An electronic device may be provided with a convex display. The convex display may include a flexible display layer that has been bent to form a curved surface.

Convex displays may be formed from flexible layers such as a flexible display layer (e.g., a flexible organic light-emitting diode array), a flexible touch-sensitive layer (e.g., a sheet of polymer with an array of transparent capacitor electrodes for a capacitive touch sensor), a flexible substrate layer, etc. These flexible layers may, if desired, be covered by a flexible or rigid cover layer (sometimes referred to as a cover glass) or may be supported by a support structure (e.g., a rigid support structure on the underside of the flexible layers). In electronic devices with convex displays partially covered by rigid cover layers, the cover layers may be provided with openings that provide access to the flexible layers of the display. For example, a cover glass layer may have an opening that allows a button member to move relative to the cover glass layer. As the button member moves within the opening, underlying portions of the flexible display may be deformed (e.g., to allow actuation of an associated switch).

Electronic devices may also be provided with user interface components (input-output components) such as buttons, microphones, speakers, piezoelectric actuators or (for receiving electrical input from a user or tactile feedback to users), other actuators such as vibrators, pressure sensors, and other components. These components may be mounted under portions of a flexible display.

User interface components may be mounted under the flexible display or may be integrated into the flexible display. The deformable nature of the flexible display may allow a user to interact with the user interface components (input-output components) by moving the display into contact with the user interface components or by otherwise allowing the display to locally flex (e.g., to allow sound to pass through the flexible display or to allow a barometric pressure measurements of the exterior environment to be made by an internal pressure sensor). If desired, a portion of the flexible display may form a membrane portion of an electrical component. Components that may be provided with a membrane that is formed from a portion of a flexible display include microphones, laser microphones, pressure sensors, speakers, etc.

Convex displays formed from flexible and rigid layers that all have convex shapes i.e., displays formed from a collection of layers in which no layer of the display is planar) may provide an aesthetically desirable external appearance while maximizing the internal volume of the device that is available to hold electrical and mechanical device components.

An illustrative electronic device of the type that may be provided with a convex display is shown in FIG. 1. Electronic device 10 may be a portable electronic device or other suitable electronic device. For example, electronic device 10 may be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a somewhat smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, pendant device, or other wearable or miniature device, a cellular telephone, a media player, etc.

Device 10 may include a housing such as housing 12. Housing 12, which may sometimes be referred to as a case, may be formed of plastic, glass, ceramics, fiber composites, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. In some situations, parts of housing 12 may be formed from dielectric or other low-conductivity material. In other situations, housing 12 or at least some of the structures that make up housing 12 may be formed from metal elements.

Device 10 may have a convex display such as convex display 14. Convex display 14 may be formed from multiple layers of material. These layers may include a touch sensor layer such as a layer on which a pattern of indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes or other suitable transparent electrodes have been deposited to form a capacitive touch sensor array or a touch sensor layer formed using other touch technologies (e.g., resistive touch, acoustic touch, optical touch, etc.). These layers may also include layer that contains an array of display pixels. The touch sensor layer and the display layer may be formed using flexible sheets of polymer or other substrates having thicknesses of 10 microns to 0.5 mm or other suitable thicknesses (as an example).

The display pixel array may be, for example, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) array containing rows and columns of OLED display pixels. Other types of flexible display pixel arrays may also be formed (e.g., electronic ink displays, etc.). The use of OLED technology to form flexible display 14 is sometimes described herein as an example. This is, however, merely illustrative. Flexible display 14 may be formed using any suitable flexible display technology. The use of flexible displays that are based on OLED technology is merely illustrative.

In addition to these functional display layers (i.e., the OLED array and the optional touch sensor array), display 14 may include one or more structural layers. For example, display 14 may be covered with a flexible or rigid cover layer and/or may be mounted on a support structure (e.g., a rigid support). Layers of adhesive may be used in attaching flexible display layers to each other and may be used in mounting flexible display layers to rigid and flexible structural layers.

In configurations for display 14 in which the cover layer for display 14 is flexible, input-output components that rely on the presence of flexible layers may be mounted at any suitable location under the display (e.g., along peripheral portions of the display, in a central portion of the display, etc.). In configurations for display 14 in which the flexible layers are covered by a rigid cover glass layer or other rigid cover layer, the rigid layer may be provided with one or more openings and the electronic components may be mounted under the openings. For example, a rigid cover layer may have openings such as a circular opening 16 for button 17 and a speaker port opening such as speaker port opening 18 (e.g., for an ear speaker for a user). Device 10 may also have other openings (e.g., openings in display 14 and/or housing 12 for accommodating volume buttons, ringer buttons, sleep buttons, and other buttons, openings for an audio jack, data port connectors, removable media slots, etc.).

In some embodiments, portions of convex display 14 such as peripheral regions 20I may be inactive and portions of display 14 such as rectangular central portion 20A (bounded by dashed line 20) may correspond to the active part of display 14. In active display region 20A, an array of image pixels may be used to present text and images to a user of device 10. In active region 20A, display 14 may include touch sensitive components for input and interaction with a user of device 10. If desired, regions such as regions 20I and 20A in FIG. 1 may both be provided with display pixels (i.e., all or substantially all of the entire front planar surface of a device such as device 10 may be covered with display pixels).

Device 10 may, if desired, have internal user interface components such as buttons 17 or speaker component 19 that occupy openings such as openings 16 and 18 respectively in an optional rigid cover layer of convex display 14. Buttons 17 may be based on dome switches or other switch circuitry. Buttons 17 may include button members that form push buttons (e.g., momentary buttons), slider switches, rocker switches, etc. Device 10 may include internal structural components such as structural component 22 that add a raised structure to a portion of convex display 14. Device 10 may include components such as interface components 24 and 26 that may be fully internal to device 10, but that receive input from the user or from the surrounding environment through physical interaction with convex display 14. Interface components 22, 24, and 26 may be positioned in active region 20A or inactive region 20I of convex display 14. Interface components 22, 24, and 26 may be positioned separately from one another or may be commonly located to form a combined component with structural and internal features. Interface components 24 and 26 may be positioned underneath convex display 14 so that convex display 14 must be deformed in order to contact components 24 or 26 or, if desired may be positioned to remain in constant contact with convex display 14.

An exploded perspective view of an illustrative display is shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, convex display 14 may be formed by stacking multiple layers including flexible display layer 14A, touch-sensitive layer 14B, and cover layer 14C. Display 14 may also include other layers of material such as adhesive layers, optical films, or other suitable layers. Flexible display layer 14 may include image pixels formed form light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs (OLEDs), plasma cells, electronic ink elements, liquid crystal display (LCD) components, or other suitable image pixel structures compatible with flexible displays.

Touch-sensitive layer 14B may incorporate capacitive touch electrodes such as horizontal transparent electrodes 32 and vertical transparent electrodes 34. Touch-sensitive layer 14B may, in general, be configured to detect the location of one or more touches or near touches on touch-sensitive layer 14B based on capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, optical sensors, acoustic sensors, inductive sensors, or force sensors.

Software and/or hardware may be used to process the measurements of the detected touches to identify and track one or more gestures. A gesture may correspond to stationary or non-stationary, single or multiple, touches or near touches on touch-sensitive layer 14B. A gesture may be performed by moving one or more fingers or other objects in a particular manner on touch-sensitive layer 14B such as tapping, pressing, rocking, scrubbing, twisting, changing orientation, pressing with varying pressure and the like at essentially the same time, contiguously, or consecutively. A gesture may be characterized by, but is not limited to a pinching, sliding, swiping, rotating, flexing, dragging, or tapping motion between or with any other finger or fingers. A single gesture may be performed with one or more hands, by one or more users, or any combination thereof.

Cover layer 14C may be formed from plastic or glass (sometimes referred to as display cover glass) and may be flexible or rigid. If desired, the interior surface of peripheral inactive portions 20I of cover layer 14C may be provided with an opaque masking layer on such as black ink.

Touch-sensitive flexible display section 14AB may be formed from display pixel array layer 14A and optional touch sensor layer 14B.

FIG. 3 is perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of device 10 with convex display 14 and convex housing 12 in which housing 12 has an opening 300 that may provide access to, e.g., an audio port. A portion of housing 12 may form a bezel such as bezel 304. Bezel 304 may be formed so that bezel 304 and display 14 form a common smooth surface or may be formed raised above or depressed below the outer surface of display 14. Bezel 304 may be a separate bezel member or may be formed as a portion of housing 12. As shown in FIG. 3, top and bottom portions 306 of bezel 200 may have a convex (curved) shape that matches the cross-sectional curved shape of convex display 14.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative embodiment of device 10 taken along line 302 of FIG. 3 and viewed in direction 303. As shown in FIG. 4, device 10 has a convex shape formed by convex housing 12 and convex display 14. Device 10 may also include internal components such as battery 310 and components 312. The convex shape of housing 12 and display 14 of device 10 may provide device 10 with a thin appearance while providing an interior space that is able to accommodate internal components such as battery 310.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative embodiment of device 10 in which convex display 14 is formed by mounting flexible display layer 14A to a convex support structure such as support structure 320 (e.g., a rigid support structure having at least a convex external surface such as a metal, glass, or plastic support structure) using a layer of adhesive material such as adhesive layer 322. As shown in FIG. 5, the internal volume of device 10, defined by housing 12 and convex display 14 may include volume 326 above plane 324 (defined by inner edges 328 of display 14) and below inner surface 330 of display 14. This is because inner surface 330 of support structure 320 is concave (in the FIG. 5 example). Volume 326 provides space which may be used for placement of internal components such as component 332 (e.g., printed circuit boards, antennas or other components). The ability to bend flexible display layer 14A into the convex shape of FIG. 5 that matches the convex outer surface of support structure 320 may therefore help maximize the interior space that is available within device 10 to mount device components.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of device 10. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 6, convex display 14 is formed from flexible display layer 14A, adhesive layer 322, and rigid cover layer 14C (e.g., a layer of rigid plastic or a layer of rigid cover glass having a convex external surface and a concave inner surface to which flexible display layer 14A conforms). Convex display 14 may be formed adjacent to bezel portion housing 12 or may be joined to housing 12 by an additional mounting member. Providing device 10 with a layer such as flexible display layer 14A that conforms to the convex shape of cover layer 14C (i.e., so that layer 14A conforms to the concave inner surface of layer 14C) may provide additional internal volume 326 between plane 324 (defined by inner edges 328 of display 14) and inner surface 330 of display 14.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of another embodiment of device 10. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 7, convex display 14 is formed from flexible display layer 14A attached to optional touch-sensitive layer 14B by adhesive layer 322. Touch-sensitive layer 14B may further be attached to rigid cover layer 14C (e.g., a glass or plastic layer) using adhesive layer 340 such that all layers (322, 14B, 340, and 14C) of display 14 conform to the convex shape of cover layer 14C (i.e., so that layers 14A and 14B conform to the concave inner surface of cover layer 14C). Convex display 14 may be formed adjacent to housing 12 or may be joined to housing 212 by an additional mounting member. The convex shape of all layers (14A, 322, 14B, 340, and 14C) may combine with convex housing 12 to provide a thin appearance for device 10 and may provide additional internal volume 326 between plane 324 (defined by inner edges 328 of display 14) and inner surface 330 of display 14.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an illustrative electronic device 10 in the vicinity of a connecting structure such as connecting structure 350 (e.g. an audio port or other female connector). As shown in FIG. 8, audio port 350 may have electrical contacts 352 for mating with contacts 356 of a connector such as mating connector 354 (e.g., a mating audio plug or other male connector). In the embodiment of FIG. 8, a portion of audio port 350 may occupy a portion of internal volume 326 above plane 324 (defined by inner edges 328 of display 14). The convex shape of display 14 of device 10 may provide a thin appearance and may provide additional internal volume 326 between plane 324 (defined by inner edges 328 of display 14) and inner surface 330 of display 14 in which a portion of mating connectors such as connector 350 may be mounted.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device 10 in the vicinity of a stack of components 360 such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), sensors, switches, connectors, battery structures, or other electronic components. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, some components 360 may be mounted partially or completely in a portion of internal volume 326 above plane 324 (defined by inner edges 328 of display 14). The convex shape of display 14 of device 10 may provide a thin appearance and may provide additional internal volume 326 between plane 324 (defined by inner edges 328 of display 14) and inner surface 330 of display 14 in which PCBs and other components 360 may be mounted. The example of FIG. 10 in which components 360 are mounted in volume 326 is merely illustrative. Other components or structures may occupy volume 326, if desired.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device in which display 14 of device 10 completely surrounds device 10. As shown in FIG. 10, device 10 may have convex front (upper) and rear (lower) surfaces that are joined along curved sidewalls. Display 14 may cover the front, rear, and sidewall surfaces of device 10 so as to completely surround electrical components 360 (e.g., printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, switches, sensors, etc.). Edges 372 may be joined by a joining member such as joining member 370. Member 370 may be a separate member formed of plastic, glass, ceramics, fiber composites, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials, or may be formed from an adhesive material.

In the example of FIG. 10, display 14 may be formed by stacking multiple layers including flexible display layer 14A, touch-sensitive layer 14B, and cover layer 14C. Display 14 may also include other layers of material such as adhesive layers, optical films, or other suitable layers. As an example, display 14 may be formed by mounting flexible display layer 14A to a rigid convex support structure having one or more convex outer surfaces and one or more associated concave inner surfaces that completely surrounds device 10. In another configuration, display 14 may be formed from flexible display layer 14A, adhesive layer 322, and rigid cover layer 14C (e.g., a rigid cover layer with one or more convex outer surfaces and one or more associated concave inner surfaces). In another possible configuration, convex display 14 may be formed by attaching flexible display layer 14A to optional touch-sensitive layer 14B using adhesive layer 322. Touch-sensitive layer 14B may further be attached to rigid cover layer 14C (e.g., a glass or plastic layer) using adhesive layer 340 so that all layers (322, 14B, 340, and 14C) of display 14 conform to the convex shape of cover layer 14C. These examples are merely illustrative and other configurations of display 14 may be used.

The convex shape of display 14 of device 10 may provide a thin appearance for device 10 and may help to maximize the internal volume of the device in which components such as battery 310, PCBs 360 or other components such as component 312 may be mounted. Surrounding device 10 completely with convex display 14 may allow the area of a device available for visual display to be enlarged.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device having opposing front and rear external surfaces, comprising: a housing having a convex surface that forms the rear external surface of the electronic device; and a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display has a flexible display layer that conforms to a convex outer surface of an internal rigid support structure and wherein the display is formed only on the front external surface of the electronic device.
 2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display further comprises an adhesive layer, and wherein the adhesive layer attaches the flexible display layer to the convex outer surface of the rigid support structure.
 3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display further comprises a touch-sensitive layer.
 4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the display further comprises first and second adhesive layers, wherein the first adhesive layer attaches the flexible display layer to the touch-sensitive layer, and wherein the second adhesive layer attaches the flexible display layer to the convex outer surface of the rigid support structure.
 5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the flexible display layer comprises image pixels formed from organic light-emitting diodes.
 6. The electronic device defined in claim 4, wherein the housing has at least one opening, wherein the opening is associated with a connector port, the electronic device further comprising a connector structure mounted in the connector port.
 7. An electronic device, comprising: a housing having a convex housing surface that forms a rear outermost surface of the electronic device; and a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display includes a rigid cover layer having at least one convex outer surface opposite the convex housing surface, wherein the convex outer surface of the rigid cover layer forms a front outermost surface of the electronic device and has at least one associated concave inner surface, wherein the display includes a flexible display layer that conforms to the concave inner surface, and wherein the display is formed only on the front outermost surface of the electronic device.
 8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the display further comprises an adhesive layer, and wherein the adhesive layer bonds the flexible display layer to the concave inner surface of the rigid cover layer.
 9. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the rigid cover layer comprises glass.
 10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the flexible display layer comprises image pixels formed from organic light-emitting diodes.
 11. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the flexible display layer comprises image pixels formed from organic light-emitting diodes.
 12. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the display further comprises a touch sensor layer that conforms to the concave inner surface.
 13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the concave display further comprises first and second adhesive layers, wherein the first adhesive layer attaches the flexible display layer to the touch sensor layer, and wherein the second adhesive layer attaches the touch sensor layer to the concave inner surface of the display.
 14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein touch sensor layer comprises indium-tin-oxide electrodes.
 15. The electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising an internal component, wherein the concave inner surface of the display provides an additional internal volume for the electronic device, and wherein the internal component is mounted at least partially in the additional internal volume.
 16. An electronic device having at least a front surface and a rear surface, comprising: electronic components interposed between the front and rear surfaces; and a display that substantially covers at least the front and rear surfaces and that surrounds the electronic components, wherein the display comprises a rigid cover layer having at least one inner surface and a flexible display layer that is bent to conform to the inner surface, wherein the electronic device has at least two sidewall surfaces, wherein the display substantially covers the two sidewall surfaces, and wherein the two sidewall surfaces have a different curvature than a curvature of the front surface of the electronic device.
 17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the display further comprises a touch-sensitive layer attached to at least a portion of the flexible display layer.
 18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the inner surface comprises a concave inner surface, the electronic device further comprising a connector structure and a housing having an opening, wherein the connector structure is mounted in the opening to form a connector port.
 19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the display has at least two edges, and wherein the edges of the display are joined by a joining member.
 20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the front and rear surfaces form opposing external surfaces of the electronic device, wherein the display comprises a first portion that covers the front surface and a second portion that covers the rear surface, and wherein the electronic components are interposed between the first and second portions of the display.
 21. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the front and rear surfaces of the electronic device each form a convex external surface of the electronic device. 